RURAL surveyors and consultants Davidson and Robertson have appointed three new directors to expanding the breadth of skills across its board and creating a stronger platform for growth.

The new directors – Derek Bathgate, George Hipwell and Ian Austin – are all internal promotions, recognised for their achievements, dynamism and expertise.

Managing director Martin Hall said: “The D and R team has grown considerably, appointing staff with years of experience to the board, and recruiting graduates keen to work their way up the ladder. Looking to the future, we wanted to expand our board of directors, bolstering our expertise.

"Each of our new directors will have specific roles and responsibilities," he explained. "We have a strong reputation for training staff, Ian Austin will help us develop that. Derek Bathgate’s strategic and marketing skills will steer us through improving communication and growth; George Hipwell will develop special projects looking at sales, structures and efficiencies. It’s a formidable platform from which to grow and a very exciting time.”

All three new directors are Fellows of the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers and on consecutive years, each won the Scottish Arbiters and Agricultural Valuers Association President’s Prize awarded to the highest achieving Scottish candidate.

Mr Bathgate is branch manager for the Castle Douglas and Ayr offices and brings strengths in strategic thinking and communication – he successfully led the company rebrand last year. He has been with D and R for nine years, joining as a rural consultant when he shared his time between D and R and the family’s 1000 acre Auchenree Farms.

Mr Hipwell joined four years ago as a graduate with a keen interest in sales and valuations and became a Chartered Surveyor the same year – he now heads up the agency side of the business which has seen instructions up 33% on last year. In his spare time, George remains connected to the land, working on his in-laws farm in West Lothian.

Mr Austin was brought up on the family farm near Gatehouse of Fleet, and completed his professional training in Dumfries and Galloway, where he still has strong links. In 2017 he was promoted to associate director and also became President of SAAVA, putting him at the coal face of legislative and industry policy change.